I had the chance to attend Startupfest in Montreal last week and I have to say that it was truly a world-class event. They turned Parc Jean Drapeau into a business festival, complete with tents chock-full of incredible and diverse speakers, booths representing companies and places from across the world and a food truck alley.
My biggest take-away was the number of times I heard people talk about trust. Often, when we hear about business in the media, we hear about mistrust – about people being taken advantage of, or, profits at all costs.
It seems to me like the new era business is focused on trust. A few nuggets of wisdom I managed to capture:
- ‘Trust is critical in influence’. – Amber Mac (technology influencer)
- ‘You’re always selling trust’. – Laura Behrens Wu (CEO, Shippo)
The businesses of the future – the ones who succeed – know that trust is their greatest asset. If people don’t trust you, they won’t come back for repeat business. If you’re not worried about repeat business, then it might be referrals. Either way, trust is critical to your bottom line. The Coveys have known this for a long time: Speed of Trust.
Vanessa's Blog 